Open Source IPL Replacement?

[kaboompow]

Hi folks,

First post in over a decade (I lost access to my old account, it seems)!

As the topic says, is there any reason we don't have an open-source IPL replacement solution? FPGAs nowadays are a dime-a-dozen and the Gamecube IPL is documented (https://github.com/redolution/iplboot), so are we just waiting for someone to port the code? I'd be happy to throw a board together and help with the development if others are willing to chip in.

The Qoob Pro hardware looks like nothing more than an old, outdated CPLD, some external memory, and a microcontroller that probably acted as a USB to UART bridge. I personally have a Qoob SX, so I can't reverse-engineer the image using my logic analyzer.

If we look at the Hyperboot, it's nothing more than a (more modern) CPLD, some external memory, and an LED.

Thoughts?

[emu_kidid]

No, there's no reason why there isn't one. IPLBoot can be a suitable IPL, but so can many other things (heck any DOL loader will do).

[kaboompow]

No, there's no reason why there isn't one. IPLBoot can be a suitable IPL, but so can many other things (heck any DOL loader will do).

If I threw some hardware together, would you be interested in helping me put some software together? As an aside, are there any technical references into how the IPL works?

[Diego borella]

I think that's what you're looking for, buddy ...

new open source IPL CHIP replacement mod ...

now we have to wait for the chip to come out so we know everything

CHIP FLIPPY:
https://twitter.com/ChrisPVille/status/ ... 08/photo/1

[ShellShock83]

you could try with a fpga setup mojo v3 fpga however is retired.https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/11953 datasheets for those interested

[Undead Sega]

you could try with a fpga setup mojo v3 fpga however is retired.https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/11953 datasheets for those interested

You can still purchase that board in places like here:

https://electropeak.com/mojo-v3-fpga-spartan

This is the first I've heard of this, what can a user from the modchip community do with this perhaps??

[ShellShock83]

what i've heard most of the ipl replacements are closed source tho i did manage to get ahold of some of the viper gc files from a repository that was hosting them.
dug a bit into the gamecube... documentation but still kind of new here.
was hoping to contribute if possible to anything being developed but i dont want to intrude neither.
it would be nice to see if i could help things pick back up again.
afaik , the drivechips mostly boot backups, the ipl replacement loads custom code.

[Extrems]

https://web.archive.org/web/20040103165506/debugmo.de/gc/gc.html
http://www.retro-system.com/shuriken_attack.htm

[Undead Sega]

what i've heard most of the ipl replacements are closed source tho i did manage to get ahold of some of the viper gc files from a repository that was hosting them.
dug a bit into the gamecube... documentation but still kind of new here.
was hoping to contribute if possible to anything being developed but i dont want to intrude neither.
it would be nice to see if i could help things pick back up again.
afaik , the drivechips mostly boot backups, the ipl replacement loads custom code.

That is true, most don't have the source code available and their modchips are usually encrypted by an ASIC chip (or something like that) thus code can't be extracted to determine the functions.

And yes, the drivechips (like XenoGC) boot backups, the IPL replacement injects custom code.

But what's gotten me intrigued is those FPGA chips, could one theoretically flash an open-sourced IPL firmware and become an IPL modchip?